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Ethereum transactions hit record as staking exit queue drops to zero
The record jump comes as Ethereum’s validator exit queue has dropped to zero while entry queues remain long.
Updated Jan 19, 2026, 5:52 a.m. Published Jan 19, 2026, 5:50 a.m.
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What to know:
- Ethereum is processing a record number of daily transactions, with activity hitting an all-time high of nearly 2.9 million transactions and continuing to climb into early 2026.
- Despite the surge in usage, average transaction fees remain near recent lows, suggesting recent upgrades and layer-2 networks are helping the system handle demand more efficiently.
- Ethereum’s validator exit queue has dropped to zero while entry queues remain long, indicating steady but not booming staking activity as the network manages heavier use without major bottlenecks.
Ethereum is processing more transactions than at any point in its history, with daily activity pushing to new records last week.
The network processed a record 2,885,524 transactions on Friday, the highest daily count in its history. The surge caps a sharp pickup in on-chain activity this month, with transaction volumes pushing to new highs into early 2026.
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Activity has accelerated since mid-December, reversing a gradual slowdown that persisted through much of 2025.
At the same time, average fees remain near recent lows, even with the pickup in usage. The combination points to a network that is absorbing higher demand more smoothly than past cycles, helped by recent upgrades and more activity moving to layer-2 networks.
Staking dynamics have also shifted. Ethereum’s validator exit queue has fallen to zero, meaning stakers can now withdraw ETH almost immediately, while entry queues still show long waits.
The empty exit queue mainly shows there isn’t a big rush to lock up ETH or pull it out right now, and staking looks steady rather than in a boom.
Paired with the jump in transactions, it suggests Ethereum is handling heavier use without the usual bottlenecks.
That’s good news for users, but it also means the old “fees will spike and make ETH scarcer” storyline is less central when the network is running smoothly.
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What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
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Solana’s new phase is ‘much more about finance,’ says Backpack CEO Armani Ferrante
The Solana ecosystem has spent the past year doubling down on a financial infrastructure, Backpack CEO Armani Ferrante told CoinDesk.
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- Solana’s latest phase looks a lot less flashy than its memecoin-fueled highs, and that may be the goal.
- Armani Ferrante, CEO of crypto exchange Backpack, told CoinDesk in an interview the Solana ecosystem has spent the past year doubling down on a more sober focus: financial infrastructure. A
- fter years of experimentation as the wider crypto industry focused on NFTs, games and social tokens, attention is now shifting back toward decentralized finance, trading and payments.
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